Black Canvas

by WritingSpirit

The Day After: Woes Long Past

"I don't really get it..."

Fillydelphia. The easternmost district standing tall beyond the grove of mountains with little care for the world that sits beyond it, turning their heads only when the presence of an alicorn, be it by form of voice letter, floods through its slate roads. Despite the slight modernity of a trio of skyscrapers standing like swords jutting into stone, the town was filled with antiquity as well, as Rainbow had noticed from the brick apartments and stone statues around.

She had to admit that it was slightly more industrial (not to mention busier) than Ponyville. There were ponies everywhere, split into two visible groups: those who preferred the exercise of walking, and those who desired the comfort of a carriage. Whatever their choices were, she still preferred the swiftness of flying; it was in her blood, after all.

The mare herself was standing hoof-in-hoof with Taciturn in the middle of the town square, staring at the large map nailed among a clutter of posters and old-fashioned advertisements on the bulletin board. Unluckily for her, the town had some sickening fascination with symbols; there wasn't a single annotation on the map that she could understand, as if all the ponies here were taught of this symbols in kindergarten and had expected tourists to learn the same.

Taciturn was standing beside her, licking on a popsicle courtesy of one of the vendors. The news of his exceptional talent had even reached the ears of these ponies, though they didn't immediately swamp them with autographs. Yet.

"You know what this means, buddy?" she asked, seeing how visually powerful he was compared to her.

The colt just crept closer to her, squinting at the scrawled designs of the map and harrumphing with resentment; a perceptible note of him criticizing the mapmaker's clumsy efforts. Of course, that was only one mere pebble for him to hop over.

"Capel Lane."

"Alright..." Rainbow noted it in her head. That was were they are right now.

"So where's the library?"

A small moment of silence, before Taciturn answered:

"Two Track Avenue."

"Thanks, Tassee," she replied with a grin, giving him a well-earned, obligatory hug. She couldn't help but find it cute when he says something else other than the usual 'Rainbow' and 'Dashie' that he would say these days as a response. Then again, she would never get sick of him hearing her name in his smooth yet high-pitched voice.

Her thoughts soon turned to that of her plans, particularly of her decision to visit the library. Her discovery of a connection between Taciturn's father and this 'Commissioner Paramount' was a little thought provoking, and seeing how this new stranger was once in the Council, there was no doubt that they had to have his name in the archives somewhere. However, there was only one small problem.

Taciturn Bleach.

Rainbow promised herself that the last thing she needs is the colt getting involved in her discovery of his bizarre and, no doubt, painful past. She had doubts about just leaving him for a while; it's practically impossible for the colt to leave her side without his worries overwhelming him immediately, not to mention the unwanted attention of him screaming her name from the other side of the street.

"What am I going to do with you...?" she muttered, out of earshot from Taciturn. She didn't want to ditch him; she was his marefriend, after all! Fate really played its strings well, much to her disgust.

"Rainbow! Rainbow Dash!"

The screech of a voice whirled her attention to the side, turning to see a mare running up to her in ecstatic joy, her white, spiky mane tossed around in a whirlwind and her rose eyes sparkling cheerfully. Rainbow's expression grew into one of disbelief when she realized who it was, giving a jubilant wave at the other pony.

"Chaser!" she squeaked her nickname aloud, hugging her tight.

Cloudchaser was her full name, recognizable in an instant by her trademark hedgehog-like mane. Rainbow officially met her during their time in the Wonderbolt Academy, and she would usually help the lilac mare in some of the harder exercises. They would usually hang out in the clouds, and sometimes even Taciturn would be brought along to watch their flight tests.

"What brings you to Fillydelphia, Chase?" she asked. She never expected to meet anypony from Ponyville here, and so did Tassee; he was almost standing on the edge of his hooves!

"Oh, the usual. Family matters and whatnot. Wouldn't say the same for you two lovebirds, however."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rainbow griped with red cheeks, her shoulder nudged teasingly by the other mare.

"You know Tassee and I are here on serious business other than... whatever you meant!"

"Heard about it. Flitter told me yesterday in her letter."

With an endearing sigh, Cloudchaser gently patted Taciturn on his shoulder, trying her best to hold her smile. Rainbow could see the colt's mouth droop a little, tightening her grip on his hooves.

"I'm sorry about... well..." she began to stutter.

"He's slightly sensitive about it," the cyan mare piped in suddenly. She doesn't want Taciturn to get riled up about his father's passing again, especially in the middle of the street.

"So...... how's Flitter these days?"

"Oh, she's fine! Would be better if she'd stop hitting on that guy from the Weather Factory."

Rainbow chuckled at her friend's disheveled expression, silently shaking her head. She was the one pony that never approved of Flitter's relationship with that stallion. Sunburst, if she could recall his name correctly, in charge of crafting snowflakes during the winter.

"Seriously, he can be a little bit of a klutz sometimes," came Cloudchaser's blabbering.

"Like there was one time where he accidentally tripped and slammed the whole tray of strawberry cake over her head! I still can't believe she laughed it off like it was nothing! Then there was the time where he..."

Her voice started to drone off, with the makings of a fine plan in place. Cloudchaser could take care of Taciturn for her during her search in the library! Of course! They both know each other pretty well, and Tassee never minded being with her! After all, it would only be a minute or two.

At least, she hoped it would be.

"Chase," Rainbow's voice cut into her friend's ranting.

"First, you shouldn't really complain so much. I mean, did you see Flitter going around saying that you and Thunderlane should never be together?"

"W-well, because Thunder's a more responsible pony than he could ever be!" she blurted out in her own defense, much to Rainbow's displeasure. The cyan mare raised an eyebrow at those words, prompting her to sigh in defeat.

"Alright, alright, Fine. Maybe you're right..."

"Second, I need to ask a favor from you."

Rainbow plopped the bleached colt in front of her friend, much to both ponies' surprise.

"Can you take care of Tassee for a minute?" she asked, wearing the widest grin she could ever muster.

"Just a quick minute, please?"

"Well, I don't know... I still have to help my uncle and all..."

"Please?" she tried again.

"I promise it'll be quick!"

Cloudchaser stopped to think, her hoof rubbing her chin as Rainbow impatiently waited for an answer. Taciturn just glanced at both mares, baffled by whatever's happening between them.

"I'll do it, but on one condition," the spike-headed pegasus said suddenly, much to her friend's discontent.

"That you'll teach me how to do that Cloud Twisting Somersault Three-Sixty when you get back."

Not the Cloud Twisting Somersault Three-Sixty, Rainbow's inner voice groaned in vexation. That was one of the hardest moves that she had recently mastered, and had come to brag about, just last year! To simply teach it to some other pony would be a crime against her own dignity!

Oh, who am I kidding, she grumbled to herself, cursing fate for playing the trump card. It's now or never.

"F-fine!" her reply came out in a stammer.

"Just don't expect it to be easy!"

"Oh, trust me, I'll be prepared!"

Taciturn's whimper suddenly cut into their conversation, the colt having realized what Rainbow was about to do. The cyan mare herself stopped to turn when he tugged at her hooves insistently, almost on the verge of dropping to his knees and beg for her not to leave.

"It'll be okay, Tassee," she assured, trying her best to retain her smile, With a sigh, Rainbow patted his head, the colt retracting his head meekly in response, squinting his eyes as he did so.

"I'll be back before you even know it!"

---

"That's an interesting choice of words, Miss..."

"Dash. Rainbow Dash," she replied. There would never be a way to understand it, these ponies and their formalities.

She was in the Fillydelphia Public Library, having left Taciturn under Cloudchaser's care while she settles on a cushioned chair, watching the librarian; an old mare with glasses resting on her wrinkled snout, let out a cough as she slowly trotted into the backroom from her respective counter, no doubt to aid the anticipating customer.

The library was huge; a haven for Twilight with its immensely tall cupboards filled with books to the brim. In between every wide alleyway, there were a row of tables and chairs, lit up by office lamps adorning jade-colored shades. Despite the plentiful of dust, the ponies in here were anything but scarce as well, happily going through every thick book they can read.

Rainbow never thought she had to come here for answers, though it seems everything is unexpected these days. She would've laughed it off a month ago if somepony told her that she would spend Hearts and Hooves day at a funeral, and would've done the same a year ago if notified of Tassee becoming her official coltfriend.

Sweeping her thoughts aside, she settled back to what the librarian had called 'an interesting choice of words'. By that, she had meant the words the pegasus had given to the librarian to look up for in the archives. They were specifically the commissioner's name and Taciturn's father's name, though she still didn't understand what the old mare meant by 'interesting'.

Without hesitation, Rainbow quietly rose from her seat, trotting towards the windows and glancing out from between the cracks of the plastic shutters. She smiled once she spotted Taciturn and Cloudchaser, the two pegasi having a small snack of sundaes at the deli across the road.

Her hooves started wrenching up, however, when Cloudchaser offered to feed the bleached colt a tiny scoop of chocolate, which tightened even more so when he eagerly accepted it. Chase is just doing her job, RD, her sound mind told her. There's nothing to get jealous about.

Jealousy... she always wondered if Taciturn was jealous once or twice. He never did show any emotion whatsoever, like the time when she and Big Mac talked after stumbling upon each other on the road. It was a small conversation, which ended in a departing hug; one that Rainbow believed that her coltfriend might grow envious because of that.

"Wait here, Tassee," she could hear Cloudchaser's muffled voice, the mare leaving suddenly, returning shortly with another cup of sundae. Taciturn bounced in his seat at the sight, which made Rainbow's heart warm with satisfaction, yet the envy only grew within her.

"Miss Dash?"

The librarian's old voice whirled her attention back, in her hooves a small yellow document. Rainbow eagerly trotted back to the counter, accepting it eagerly with a small bow of appreciation.

"Thank you."

"I see you're admiring somepony, hmm?"

Admiring somepony? Rainbow stopped at the librarian's words. Does she mean Taciturn? She sure hope as heck she didn't mean Cloudchaser; usually it was the other way around.

"It's just my coltfriend," the cyan pegasus answered.

"You might've heard of him. Taciturn Bleach?"

"Ah yes... Valente's son."

With a senile chuckle, the librarian settled onto her seat, tipping her glasses down a little. Rainbow stood still in the silence of awkwardness, unsure if she could leave underneath the aged mare's observation, though her croaky voice stopped her before she could leave.

"I've heard you and Taciturn were perfect for each other. Like two peas in a pod, they said. You must be such a dear of a mare to take care of him."

"W-well, it's not r-really what I would call 'perfect'," Rainbow stammered, her cheeks turning a slight pink.

"We got off in a rough start, to be honest. Not really what I expected and-- h-hold on... did you say Valente? As in... Taciturn's father?"

"Quite a witty one, too!" the librarian exclaimed with a small laugh.

"None other than the lord himself. We were good friends back then, he and I. Moved in from Vanhoover when I was thirty years old, and that you could say was a pretty long time ago! He helped me settle down in Fillydelphia as the librarian, and had been working in this dusty old place ever since."

"So you know him very well?" Rainbow prodded onward.

"To be frank, not personally. I heard he was married at that time, to a nicest, sweetest mare, those ponies say. It really was a shame back then, with his wife's passing and all. All he could turn to was his son."

The librarian shook her head suddenly, blinking a few times with a click of her tongue.

"Oh, what am I saying, this old, blurting mouth of mine?" she hissed at herself, much to Rainbow's disappointment, the younger mare wanting to hear more.

"Just go on with your findings! Take all the time you need!"

"Thanks again!" she called back, giving a small wave whilst stopping to wonder at those words, particularly when he said all that Valente could turn to was Tassee himself. If he was the only pony that his father could turn to, then why would he be sent away?

With a shrug, Rainbow settled back onto the chair, opening the file to meet a set of newspaper clippings, mottled with age and held together by a rusted paperclip. Shuffling through each of them (due to the lackadaisical content of the news), her hooves finally stopped at one peculiar clipping, her interest piquing her to read:

TRIPLE MURDER STRIKES HEART OF FILLYDELPHIA

Stallions Mutilated At The Hooves Of Local Seamstress

January 28th, FILLYDELPHIA: Police are currently undergoing investigation of what seems to be a triple homicide and an arson case that had burned down the local seamstress's shop in which the murder was believed to have taken place.

At approximately 2 AM in the morning, neighbors have heard screams from the shop/residence of Dove Featherheart, a local seamstress, and found the said apartment on fire. Firefighters, upon putting out the blaze however, soon discovered three bodies inside, where closer examinations have revealed that the ponies were killed before the fire started.

Dove was brought in for questioning immediately, and had plead guilty to all alleged charges of homicide, though police could not obtain a motive for her actions. Interrogators noted she was 'stubborn' as well as 'heartless', and some experts had concluded that her condition was unnatural.

"From what we know during her stay in the hospital, she was affected mentally," said a local doctor (who does not wish to be named). "The police need to seek for help if they intend to obtain answers from her. You might need somepony to understand what she's been through in the entirety of her life."

Dove was said to have a troubling past, though neighbors said she was a kind pony at heart, and wouldn't have the makings of a cold-blooded killer. Commissioner Paramount assured that the truth will be discovered and brought to life, and is seeking for professional help to obtain a full confession.

"There are possibilities that we might turn to Sir Valente, but as of now, we shall see to it

"Bummer," she rasped, reaching the torn bottom of the clipping

Well, that certainly proves it: that the commissioner did turn to Taciturn's father to seek help about a mare. The intentions were clearer this time; about the dreadful murder and how she refused to speak even after being tended to by many doctors and psychologists.

But how was this related to Taciturn, other than the involvement of his father? Surely there's more to it than that? It didn't make any sense if it was left as it is, and how does the strange key fit into all of this?

With a sigh, Rainbow leaned back against her chair, pondering at the small clipping and trying to piece together the incomplete puzzle. A murder, a key and the crude paintings in the nursery... they must have some sort of connection somehow.

The question is, what?

---

"Thanks a lot for taking care of him!"

"Anything for a friend," Cloudchaser replied happily, giving Rainbow a small hug.

"Isn't that right, Tassee? We had quite a lot of fun together, didn't we?"

Taciturn nodded happily, sipping on a recently-bought frappe from the deli that both of them settled in as they patiently wait for Rainbow, his lips curling into a wide smile.

She had never seen Tassee being so happy without her in her entire life (which was slightly disheartening, but still, at least he was cheerful as ever), which was lucky for her, since she didn't want to deal with his pouting face by the time she finished her small search.

"Catch ya later, Chase!" she exclaimed, giving the other mare a wave.

"Maybe we'll meet again next time!"

"Sure thing!" the bristly maned pegasus replied.

"And remember! You still have to teach me that awesome trick of yours!"

"Y-Yeah!" Rainbow stammered, still surprised that Cloudchaser remembered it. She had hoped that the lilac pegasus would've forgotten all about it during her time with Taciturn, though it seems her anticipation to learn the technique was too important for her to forget.

"I mean, pfftt... it's a done deal, right?"

The couple stood there for the next few minutes, happily waving at their friend flying back into the bustling crowd. It wasn't long before both colt and mare settled on one of the many benches around town, placed specifically for ponies like them to rest their tired hooves.

With a blissful sigh, Rainbow leaned against Taciturn's shoulder, the bleached colt still eagerly slurping up his drink. Their eyes were set at the sun setting behind the western mountains, basking all of the sky in a sea of red, orange and yellow, the clouds swirling with the euphoria of serenity and signaling the end of another disappointing day.

Unbeknownst to her coltfriend, she actually planned to spend the entire day with him. Just him and her together, without nopony to bother them. Of course, that doesn't mean Cloudchaser was the one that ruined it; it was her desire to understand the colt's past that dismissed any chances of them spending time together as well.

"Stupid," she hissed quietly at herself, though it immediately caught the unwanted attention of Taciturn, who had just finished his chocolaty drink, her frustration met by his curious stare.

"Dashie?"

"Nothing's the matter, really," she replied, wrapping a hoof around his shoulder.

"What matters is that you had fun today, and Cloudchaser really did a good job on taking care of you. Maybe... maybe even better than..."

Rainbow closed her eyes, trying to remember the first day that she had to take care of the colt. Cloudchaser brought him to a deli and shared a drink with him on her first day, but she... she lured him like some common animal to Twilight's house and scolded him for his strange painting on her first day as her guardian! Does she even deserve him?

"She might be even better..." her voice continued, albeit slower this time. A small tear crept at the edges of her eyes, the mare clinging tighter on his hooves as she finished her sentence in a quivering whisper:

"Than me..."

With a grit of teeth, the first of many tears fell onto the pavement, dripping incessantly while she drooped her head down to the floor, unable to meet the blanched colt's gaze. Regret stung her heart like the needle of a syringe, unloading its liquid of depression that ravaged through her limbs, quivering from its staggering assault.

Taciturn just purred in response, catching her attention back when he raised her chin back to her. He was wearing a sad smile, his hoof; the one that his marefriend wasn't clutching on, reaching up to wipe away the droplet of a tear. Rainbow just stopped in surprise at his actions, her mouth frozen in a gasp.

"T-Tas..." she stuttered.

"Tassee...?"

"Happy?" he asked suddenly, reminding her of the first time she was asked that exact same question. At that time, snow filled the land, and she had a bruise, which became more of a scar as time wears on. It wasn't on her cheek anymore, yet it tingled whenever she remembered the incident, as if she would relive it once again.

"Dashie happy?" the colt asked again, snapping her out of her daydream. Rainbow blinked for a moment, before hugging him tight, unable to hold back a smile once she saw his quirky, adorable, puffy-cheeked grin.

"Yeah..." she replied, nuzzling his snout.

"With you around..."

"Dashie will always be happy."

Comments

[RadBunny]

The plot thickens....

with another dose of adorableness!

[Rainbow87dash]

Why is there so much adorablness????

Oh and Sexy Vampire Fish (try get the reference)

[Stellar starry night]

You should try to get a picture of rainbow and taciturn cuddling that's a sight I wanna see,

[SilverShimmer]

So adorable

I must read more!